Valentino’s Haute Couture Show Included 43 Black Models—Including Naomi Campbell

Valentino presented its Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2019 Collection at Paris Fashion Week in a revolutionary way. In a historic move, the fashion house intentionally cast 43 Black models out of 65. Every part of the show was purposeful—from the beautiful models to the magnificent ensembles to the mellifluous sounds of Roberta Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” playing in the background. The monumental event led many to tears. Edward Enninful, British Vogue’s editor-in-chief, shared his sentiments on Instagram, stating, “Possibly the most emotional show I’ve ever watched. I feel like my late mother would have loved it.” Model Adut Akech Bior opened the show and was followed by Duckie Thot, Fatou Jobe, Alek Wek, Ajake Deng, Grace Bol, Miqueal-Symone and Judy Kinuthia, among others. Supermodel Naomi Campbell closed the event. What a powerful sight to see! Valentino’s creative director, Pierpaoll Piccioli, shared the following on Instagram: “Naomi, Liya, Sabah, Kaia, Akiima, Nyarach, Assa, Ayak, Ugbad, Maria Carla, Natalia, Adut. The finale. “If you have a big dream you can make it. So you have to dream on a big scale. Martin Luther King said that he dreamt one day his kids would be appreciated for their character, their knowledge, not the colour of their skin. Forty years later we have a black president. So you have to think and fight for the big things. The dreams should be huge.”